


Honor-Bane

by Bofur1



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fear, Arkenstone Thief!Nori, Doubt, Gen, Nori Lies, Spoilers for Desolation of Smaug, Supposed Betrayal, The Smaug Encounter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 07:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1461082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Bofur1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they reach the Hidden Door, despite how many times Bilbo has proved himself a worthy Burglar, Thorin thinks that someone more experienced should scout things out inside. All eyes turn to Nori, who is torn between SHOWING off or RUNNING off. </p><p>The Smaug Encounter, with an AU twist!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honor-Bane

Nori watched with a small, satisfied smile as the Hidden Door opened. Drawing in a soft gasp, Thorin breathed, “Erabor...”

Nori thought for half a second about making the snide remark of “That’s obvious”, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. This moment was what they’d been traveling for; _this_ was the Quest.

As they stepped into the sacred halls, Nori did a cursory scan and spotted a sign just above the Door. He pointed it out to Glóin, who began to read in an awed voice:

“Herein lies the seventh Kingdom of Durin’s folk. May the Heart of the Mountain unite all Dwarves in defense of this home.”

Nori rolled his shoulders, trying to get the chill off, as Balin explained to Bilbo about the throne of the King. Nori was rather proud of his protégé for immediately noticing the other factor.

“And what’s that above it?” Bilbo asked.

Balin spoke the two words with reverence: “The Arkenstone.”

Nori’s pride wilted just a little when Bilbo mulled this over and then asked dumbly, “And what’s that?”

“That, Master Burglars,” Thorin said gravely as he turned back toward them, “is why you are here.”

Nori met Bilbo’s helpless expression with a steady and reassuring gaze—until he realized. Thorin had just spoken in the _plural_.

 

Balin walked with Nori down the stairs, mustering, “Nori, I understand why you might be angry—”

“Angry?” Nori sputtered. “I—I...” His thought process was all mixed up by this sudden change.

The pro was that because he was the first to enter the treasury, he could help himself to as much gold as he wanted. He could even take the Arkenstone and become King if he wanted! Of course he didn’t, but it gave him something to chuckle about.

The con was that because he was the first to enter the treasury, he could be the first to come upon the creature. _The_ Wyrm. _Smaug the Terrible_. That was enough to make his legs shake so hard he thought his kneecaps were going out of place.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Balin sighed. “There’s no dishonor in turning back.”

Nori rolled his eyes. “Balin. It’s gold. I never turn away from gold.”

Balin paused a moment before putting a hand on Nori’s shoulder. “Well, your brothers are back there waiting for you, so...If there is, in fact, a live Dragon down there...don’t waken it.”

Nori nodded slowly and shrugged him off, marching forward with confidence he didn’t feel.

 

Nori had never seen the Arkenstone before, but he’d heard Dori describe it to Ori in his stories.

“A large jewel of the purest white, glowing with the brilliant blue-gold of stone and fire,” Dori lauded it wistfully.

Nori had once remarked that Dori had been very young when Erabor was taken, so his interpretation might not have been completely accurate, but Dori was insistent.

“There is only one Arkenstone and you’ll know it if you ever see it!”

Now Nori hoped he was right. His eyes flicked furtively over the stone columns, their aqua-blue hue darkened by shadows, which rose up in the room he was approaching. When he entered, he saw the mountains that hugged the bases of the pillars and his breath caught.

It may be darkened by the shadows of age, it may be soiled by the scale-oil of a Wyrm...but it was _gold_. And Nori suddenly felt as though the greatest thefts of his life were very, very small.

Walking down little by little, Nori took a moment to process his disbelief. Dazedly he sat down at the base of the steps and removed his boots, telling himself that it was because they would make more noise on top of the treasure than necessary. He knew that, in reality, he was setting himself up to take a cannonball in the gigantic pool of Dwarven dreams.

Nori knew he needed to focus on his goal, but what he _wanted_ was a different matter entirely. Sucking in a breath, he leaned forward and scooped up the coin that was closest to him, pocketing it.

There. Just one for now. Find the Arkenstone before you get any more. Nori started to stand, scooping up another and putting it in the other pocket. Alright, just two. Three. Four. Stop now. Just one more. Ten. You’re running out of time, so _stop it!_ No. Can’t. Just a few more!

Nori scaled the golden mountain quickly, scooping up jewels and gold pieces that interested him more than the others. Eventually he needed something other than his pockets to hold the treasure and seized up a golden goblet. Nori paused, watching uneasily as the sudden removal caused a a small hill of gold pieces to slide, pooling at his feet. He looked up...

...and _squeaked_. Far too focused on playing dead than being humiliated by the noise, Nori slid down, curling in a tiny ball and tamping his breath lest it wake the Beast.

Still and silent, still and silent—too late! Nori felt more gold slide on top of him as the Dragon lifted his head and prayed that it would be enough to cover his presence. He heard large nostrils drawing in air and wished he had taken advantage of Laketown’s baths.

“Well, _thief_ ,” Smaug growled, his voice disturbingly hospitable, “...I smell you. I hear your breath. I feel your air. Where are you?”

 

“...I only wanted to look at you and see if the old tales about your greatness were true,” Nori explained with very fragile composure to Smaug’s snout, shrugging largely to hide the tremors that were wracking his spine. “I didn’t believe them.”

Smaug snarled as he crawled around the pillar where Nori cowered into an open space, rising to his full height.

“And do you _now?!_ ” he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the chasm.

Nori quickly masked his terror with a submissive smile. “Truly the tales and songs fall utterly short of your... scale, oh, great Dragon.” He laughed apprehensively at his terrible pun.

“Do you think flattery will keep you alive?” Smaug demanded.

Nori shrugged again with an ill smile. “M-Maybe.”

The light of Smaug’s eyes flared at his casual putdown, but Nori could see he was too inquisitive to kill him just yet.

“You seem familiar with my name,” Smaug remarked, adjusting to a crouch so he could study Nori contemplatively, “which is to be expected, but I don’t remember smelling your kind of Dwarf before. Who are you and where do you come from, may I ask?”

Nori silently praised Mahal for his wanderlust—the mixed scent of travel had bought him more time. He opened his mouth to speak when a glimmering luminance caught his eye. His mouth opened further as the colorful beauty Dori spoke of so fervently came to life in front of him, almost seeming to call him.

 _You’re being trusted for once. Take me to my master. I am your task_.

Nori forced his attention back to Smaug. “I come from under the hill.” Only a small lie, Nori decided. He didn’t live in Hobbiton, but he had come from there.

“Underhill?” Smaug repeated with interest.

Nori nodded, chuckling slightly. “And under hills and over hills my path has led. Oh, and through the air. I’m the Path-Finder, the one who walks unseen.” He knew he was sort of taking Bilbo’s titles, but all he cared about right now was making it through the next few minutes.

“Impressive,” Smaug said flatly as he made movements akin to pacing. “What else do you claim to be?”

“I’m...” Nori winced as Smaug’s face drew close to his. The Dragon’s breath was atrocious, making it hard to focus. “I’m the Honor-Bane—the Shadow-Walker.”

“Lovely titles,” Smaug purred. “Go on.”

“B-Barrel-Rider,” Nori stammered, running out of ideas that wouldn’t give away his occupation of thief.

“Barrels,” Smaug repeated, something in his voice making Nori uneasy. “Now that is interesting. And what about the other Dwarves? Where are they hiding?”

Nori tried his hardest to feign confusion. There was no way he was going to implicate Dori and Ori to Smaug, of all people! “‘Other Dwarves’? Nope, no other Dwarves here. You’ve got that all wrong.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, _Barrel-Rider_ ,” Smaug hissed, visibly growing angry. “They sent you in here to do their dirty work while they skulk about outside. What does that tell you of your race?”

Nori stopped a few steps away from the Arkenstone, shaking his head. “Truly, you’re mistaken, O Smaug, chiefest and greatest of...of calamities.” _Thanks, Bofur, now you’ve made me sound like an idiot_.

Smaug almost smirked. “You have nice manners for a _thief_ and a _liar_!” As he ranted on about the smell and taste of Dwarves, Nori inched closer to his—Thorin’s prize. “It is the gold! You are drawn to treasure like flies to dead flesh!”

“Much like you—” Nori started to say, narrowly dodging the Wyrm’s huge claw that came slamming down. Yelping, he somersaulted down the mountain of treasure and landed on a lower level, instantly buried beneath another pool of wealth.

“Do you think I did not know this day would come—when a pack of canting Dwarves would come _crawling_ back to the Mountain?!”

Nori cowered as a falling pillar fell close by, shaking the very ground beneath him like the beginnings of an earthquake. He could imagine Dori thinking that’s what it was and then Balin answering in a grave voice—it was no earthquake. It was a Dragon. Nori hoped he would live to ask if his prediction was right.

 

“It’s Oakenshield,” Smaug hissed accusingly. “That filthy Dwarvish usurper! He sent you in here for the Arkenstone, didn’t he?!”

“No, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Nori called out making himself as small as possible behind another pillar.

“Don’t bother denying it,” Smaug snapped. “I guessed his foul purpose some time ago.” Nori could feel Smaug’s large presence on the other side. “But it matters not. Oakenshield’s quest _will_ fail. A Darkness is coming; it will spread to every corner of the land!” He spoke on but Nori’s attention was only fully grabbed when Smaug muttered, “You are being used, thief in the shadows. You were only ever a means to an end. The coward Oakenshield has weighed the value of your life and found it worth _nothing_!”

Nori gulped. Bilbo was supposed to be the ‘means to the end’, but Thorin had sent him instead. Did that mean the others cared more about Bilbo’s wellbeing than his own?

“No,” he denied the terrible thought of betrayal. “No, you’re lyin’!”

“What did he promise you?” Smaug laughed. “A share of the treasure? As if it was his to give. I will not part with a single coin—not _one_ _piece_ of it!”

Nori darted out of his hiding place, pulling on the threads of his swollen pockets and subtly emptying them as he ran. He stumbled only moments later and had his breath knocked out of him as he crashed into another pillar, lying dazed for a moment as pain tickled his nerves. He struggled into a sitting position and saw the Arkenstone, sitting close to one of his boots.

“My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! My wings are a _hurricane_!”

As Nori looked up in terror at the approaching Dragon, he caught sight of something, or rather the absence of something—the words of Bard’s son echoed in his head.

_“Girion hit the Dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing—one more shot and he would’ve killed the Beast!”_

“So it is true,” Nori whispered. “That little sticker did a right job.”

“What did you say?” Smaug snarled.

“I—I was just sayin’ that your reputation precedes you, O Smaug the... totalitarian,” Nori mustered up a word he didn’t remember learning. Sort of patting the air, he concluded, “Truly you have no equal on this earth. And, as a matter of fact, neither do I, cos I’ve actually survived this long! Honor-Bane, indeed, eh?” As he spoke he shifted slightly in the guise of trying to stand but in reality moving closer to the King’s Jewel. Smaug noticed his goal.

“I am almost tempted to let you take it,” he muttered. “If only to see Oakenshield _suffer_. Watch it destroy him—watch it corrupt his heart and drive him _mad_.”

Nori hesitated. He knew what the Dragon meant; he had been noticing the difference in Thorin the closer they got to the Mountain. But right now he was feeling rather betrayed by the would-be King and wondered if that’s why he was trying to take it, to see Thorin suffer. He hoped not.

“...But I think not,” Smaug finished menacingly. “I think our little game ends here. So tell me, thief—how do you choose to die?”

Nori leapt forward, shoved the jewel in his pocket and ran. A moment later, Smaug’s fire was licking at him, singeing his ankles and charring the back of his clothing and hair. He couldn’t help but scream as he ran up the stairs and bumped—right into Thorin.

“You’re alive!” Thorin gasped.

“Not for much longer,” Nori replied raggedly.

“Did you find the Arkenstone?” Thorin demanded.

“Listen, there’s a _bloody Dragon_ on my tail—!”

“The Arkenstone!” Thorin shouted. Nori was startled by his tone, but more frightened because of the manic gleam in his eyes. “Did you find it?” Thorin repeated hopefully.

Nori could practically feel the stone burning through his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. “No. We have to get out.”

But they didn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> So what does Nori do with the Arkenstone? Does he eventually give it to Thorin or does he give it to the Elves and Men like Bilbo did? It's up to you!


End file.
